This isn't my usual book but a family member recommended this book to me. The book is a biography of the lobotomist Walter Freeman. He made major breakthroughs at the time on lobotomy although nowadays that is a practice that is rightfully condemned. Although he did do thorough checkups on his patients years after the surgeries, it seems that he viewed them as specimens. But it also seems that he also believed completely in what he was doing. There are times when he goes too far like when he decides to use an ice pick during the procedure. There are also instances when you feel for him especially the story of the death of his son Keen. The most famous surgery he is remembered for is JFK's sister. Towards the end of the book, you feel sorry for him when he just can't let lobotomy go even after it is way out of fashion. It's his identity and he can't part from it. The book is interesting because it provides a picture of a man who definitely was not a saint just a misguided man. Although there is much room for growth in the fight against mental illness at least this horrific practice isn't being used isn't more.
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